Sleep Deprived
by hufflepuff-ish
Summary: Hermione stays at the Burrow for Christmas and when Fred finds out she barely sleeps and wakes up very early every morning, he uses it as an opportunity to spend time with and get close to the girl he has a crush on. (AU) (I don't own HP.)
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE** | BAD INFLUENCE

A soft light falls through the window in Fred and George's room, indicating that it's an early morning hour. It annoys Fred, the only twin who's awake and can't fall back asleep since he suddenly woke up. He already tried lying down in every possible position; nothing helps. His gaze travels to look at George, who looks deeply asleep, as he contemplates waking him up. A moment later, Fred decides against it — he isn't sure that his twin will even be able to be woken up this early unless he'll wake up on his own.

Practically teasing him, Fred's stomach growls hungrily. As he rolls his eyes, he realizes he definitely won't be able to fall asleep in this state. Sighing, he pushes himself off his bed and quietly makes his way out of the room. After closing the door behind him and walking down the stairs, he relaxes a bit but still tries not to make too much noise. The silence in the Burrow feels almost unnatural, which is why Fred feel more comfortable when he hears someone in the kitchen. When he reaches the last step, he can see Hermione in there, making herself tea. Her hair is messier than usual, indicating that she hasn't been awake for long. He watches her for a moment, noticing how careful her movements are and how she seems to enjoy the quietness so much that it makes him suspect that she actually dislikes mornings with his family. He can't blame her though, quite the opposite — he enjoys watching her so relaxed.

Taking the final step, he clears his throat and looks at her with expectation, waiting for her to notice him. Surprised with someone else's presence, she jumps, causing Fred to chuckle. ''Morning,'' he greets her as he makes his way through the kitchen.

Meeting his gaze, Hermione smiles as she recognizes him and says, ''Morning. Would you like some tea?''

He smiles back and says, ''Yes please, Granger.''

Her brown eyes travel away from him and she pulls another cup from one of the cabins. Fred takes a few more seconds to look at her as she pours the hot drink into two cups. He decides that he dislikes the idea of her catching him looking at her and starts looking through a few of the cabins for something he can have for breakfast. He comes across bread leftovers and jam. Without bothering to take a plate, he smears the jam on the bread and takes a bite.

''Why are you awake so early?'' Hermione asks and hands him his tea.

''Don't know,'' he says as he finishes chewing. ''I couldn't fall back asleep. Why are you?''

She brings the cup to her lips and blows to try and make the water colder. It's a slightly distracting sight for Fred, but he stays composed.

''It's been a bit of a struggle for me to fall asleep since the war,'' she admits with a shrug and takes a small sip of tea.

Frowning, Fred puts his cup aside. He wasn't aware that Hermione is suffering from insomnia. He noticed her red eyes and the bags under her eyes over a week ago, but he didn't think a serious lack of sleep is the reason. He silently scolds himself for not noticing something this important about the girl he has been paying more and more attention to over the years.

''It's never bad to be up early on Christmas through,'' Fred says while he scolds himself again, this time for the stupid things he's saying. ''Did you open any of the presents yet?''

Hermione follows his gaze to the Christmas tree that is standing in the corner of the Weasley's living room and says, ''No, I would hate to open mine on my own.''

''Good thing I'm here, then,'' he replies with a smile. Not wasting any time, he takes another bite of his breakfast and walks across the room towards the tree. Aware that she's watching, he meets Hermione's gaze and nods at her to follow him. ''Come on, Granger,'' he says when he sets his cup of tea on the coffee table.

The girl is still standing where she was, her eyes set on his and her expression is skeptical. Fred isn't willing to give up so easily and he stares at her brown eyes for several seconds, until she surrenders. Sighing, she grabs her own cup and walks towards him. In the meantime, he approaches the Christmas tree and starts looking through the presents.

''Why do you call me 'Granger'?'' she asks.

Apparently, looking for one particular gift under the Weasley's Christmas tree isn't as easy as Fred thought, but he tries not to show that his long search is beginning to annoy him. Instead, he smirks at the question and asks a bit playfully, ''What would you want me to call you?''

He hears her putting her cup on the table as well before she approaches him and says, ''There is always my name.''

He wants to tell that it _is_ her name, just her last name, but she is suddenly standing next to him with arms crossed over her chest and says, ''Fred, I really don't think we should open our presents now. It takes out all the fun out of the present opening.''

Half smiling, he turns to look at her and holds out a box that has her name on it. ''Don't worry, love, I only want you to open mine now,'' he explains.

A look of understanding crosses Hermione's face and her arms fall to her sides. ''Oh,'' she says quietly. ''But only if you'll open mine.''

With a short nod, he says, ''Agreed.''

Crouching next to him, she takes the present from him and puts it on her knees. Her brown eyes scan all the presents for a moment before she leans over and pulls out quite a big box.

"You're making me share my present with George?" Fred asks in horror.

She looks embarrassed but then she smiles and says, "That's a present for both of you. But I also got something for each one of you separately."

On cue, she pulls out another wrapped box. Fred leaves the present for him and George by the tree, deciding to wait until his twin will be with him to open it, and takes the smaller one that has his name on it. Together, the pair stands up and takes a seat on the couch. The fact that Hermione got him his own present makes stop smiling a struggle for Fred. He steals a glance at her and sees how her eyes shine with curiosity. She catches him looking, yet he doesn't look away.

"Shall we?" He asks.

She nods and they waste no time. They start opening and ripping the wraps and even now Hermione manages to do it more neatly than he does. He could comment on that, but he's too focused on the presents, wondering what he got from her.

"Fred Weasley, you're a bad influence on me," she mutters, although her expression, especially her smile, give away her excitement.

"Don't pretend that you're not enjoying it, love," he smirks at her.

Hermione finishes opening her present first since hers is smaller. The redhead watches as she holds the medium sized box with a frown that fades a second after she opens it. As much as he likes gifts and wants to know what she got him, he can't give up on seeing her reaction to what he got her. A half smile tugs at his lips when her expression lights up.

"This is beautiful," she says in awe and chuckles. She's holding a rectangle shaped drawing of a beautiful pastoral view that's tied by a ribbon so it can be used as a bookmark. "For a second, I thought it was going to be jewelry."

In response, Fred puts his hand above his heart and says, "And I thought you had a better opinion than that on me." Then, he pauses. "Or did you want jewelry?"

Luckily, she chuckles and shakes her head, immediately making him feel relieved. "It could actually be used as a portkey, so if you want to read somewhere peacefully, you just rub it four times and it takes you there. Each one they make is unique, so you won't find yourself there with other people," he explains.

She smiles as her warm eyes scan her present for a few seconds, taking in the details before she looks at Fred. He's still looking at her and butterflies fill his stomach when their gazes meet. It's not news to him that she makes him feel this way, but he does try to hide it from anyone who shouldn't know about his little crush — which is currently _everyone_.

"Thank you, Fred," Hermione says, sounding genuine.

Fred might as well explode from how proud he is of himself. His crush is a rather new thing — or so he tells himself — and he has been making sure to be careful about the witch that caught his attention. Even though Hermione has been best friends with his little brother for years now, Fred himself doesn't know her the best. But when Christmas was approaching, he just couldn't help but want to wow the girl away with a perfect present. He decided it when hers and his brother's unofficial breakup — if you can call it that — was rather fresh. Maybe it wasn't the best way of thinking considering he's Ron's brother since Fred doesn't want to come through as a git, but it seems like the two best friends are happier being just best friends.

"My turn," he says and moves his attention to the gift in his lap.

He's much less careful with the wrapping, but it doesn't matter because he's dying to see what Hermione got him. _Just him_. Something almost falls off once he's done with the unwrapping and it takes him a moment to realize that his gift consists of two things. Merlin, Hermione is _the best_.

In his lap lies a book named "Guinness World Records" with the mention of the current year and on the floor lies a colorful tie. When he picks up the tie, he takes a moment to study the most colorful pattern he has ever seen that has the word "Haha!" in almost every color. The accessory makes him smile. He has never seen anything like it.

"I saw the tie in a random store and immediately thought of George and you," Hermione explains as she watches Fred's reaction. "The book is a muggle one. It mentions many records that were broken over the world this year. Some of them are quite strange… I thought it could help you with new ideas for your shop since you seemed to focus on that recently."

The second part of the explanation almost makes the red-head blush. When Fred realized he might fancy Hermione, it took him time to take it in and whenever anyone would ask him why he's being unusually quiet, he lied and said that he was trying to come up with new ideas for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, George and his joke shop. He hopes Hermione won't find out the truth or he will be so embarrassed he'll never face her again.

Instead of letting her suspect anything, he smiles widely and says, "This is brilliant, Hermione. Thank you."

The witch beams with satisfaction and continues eating her breakfast, which is yet to have gone cold, while Fred curiously starts flipping through the pages of the book. He wouldn't describe himself as a book lover, but he's interested things Muggles have managed to achieve to be mentioned in this book of records, especially the weird things.

The two sit peacefully like that for a bit over half an hour, eating breakfast and discussing the book. They laugh and awe at the tallest person in the world, the most flexible one, the one with the most tattoos, at the largest dancing event that has been held and so on. However, their small bubble slowly disappears when more and more people come down for breakfast and for the presents unwrapping. The morning ends when Hermione is busy studying the presents Harry got, and the Weasley twins are opening the rest of their presents. However, even with all the excitement and distractions around, Fred finds it almost impossible to stop thinking about the younger witch who seems to be becoming more special for him than he'd ever expected.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So this is a small story I'm working on for an unofficial OTPs things I'm doing. This specific story is going to be around five chapters and very sweet, I promise. I'm not going to have a schedule for the updates, but I don't want to drag this too much since it's short.

Please let me know what you think, feedback is motivating :)


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO |** OFFENDED

The next morning is entirely different. Fred wakes up around the same time but it takes him several minutes to snap out of the sleepy daze he's in. The possibility that Hermione is the first one to be awake again is somehow enough to make him get out of bed and Apparate into the kitchen. He's momentarily disappointed as he looks around an empty kitchen. However, then he notices the steam that is coming out of the kettle and the cheese that's lying near the sink, which his mother would have left there. His gaze wanders around until he spots curls peeking from behind one of the armchairs and he can't help but smirk. Fred spends a few minutes putting himself left-overs from yesterday, which surprisingly doesn't draw the witch's attention, before heading over to the living room.

The closer he gets, the easier it becomes for him to see that Hermione is curled up with a book in her lap. He almost decides not to interrupt her, but then he reminds himself that she reads several times a day while he only has few opportunities to get her alone and talk to her privately.

"Good morning," Fred says, breaking the silence as he sits down on the couch.

Hermione visibly jumps at the sound of his voice and her eyes widen. The reaction makes him chuckle in amusement, contrasting the embarrassed look she wears.

"Morning, Fred," she replies, her expression relaxing.

As he watches her body relaxing, he decides to tease her. "Too busy with your reading to notice good old Fred, eh? I'm offended." The question makes her look embarrassed and he smiles. "It's alright, love, I was joking. I know you well enough by now to know it isn't personal."

Hermione's lips curl into a small smile that makes him feel proud of himself for causing that. It also encourages him, another reminder that even though the girl is the smartest witch of her age, she's still human and not too complicated nor stuck up. She holds her book closed but keeps one finger tucked in the place where she stopped reading, then changes her position so she's facing him, unaware of the second confidence boost she's giving him.

He leans back, his body relaxing against the old couch before he asks, "Can't sleep again?"

"I _slept_ , just not for very long," Hermione says, her gaze momentarily leaving his.

Since she told him about her trouble sleeping a day ago, he can't _not_ notice the signs of tiredness on her. The dark skin under her eyes looks like it doesn't belong on her young face and it makes him wonder if he's the only one who noticed it. It doesn't seem likely since it seems so strange to see Hermione look like this. And even though he wasn't expecting a different answer to his question, the answer worries him.

"Can't a healer help you with that?" he asks, before starting to eat his bacon.

Hermione sighs and he wonders if maybe he shouldn't have asked. However, she doesn't look annoyed and it's too late to regret what's already done.

"Theoretically they can, so can Muggle doctors but I'm not sure I want to depend so much on a potion or pills," she explains with a small frown and when she notices the confusion her last word caused him, she explains. "A pill is a small capsule with medication in it. You swallow it and then it dissolves in your body and it works like a potion. Just without magic."

"Hmm." Fred nods while finally taking notice of her half-full tea mug and the bread crumbs on her empty plate.

Probably sensing his concern, Hermione shrugs and says, "It's not that bad, actually. It gives me more times to get things done."

He should have given her a supply of Sleeping Potions for Christmas, he concludes. She might be trying to brush it off, but he doesn't know how he just needs to accept that his crush barely sleeps at all. He would have cared even if he didn't feel his heart fluttering in his chest every time he looked at the curly haired girl, because after all these years and everything that happened, she's as good as family.

"I'm sorry, Hermione, but that's bollocks," he replies, hoping he's not coming off too harsh. "The war left some scars in all of us, all types of scars but it doesn't mean that you necessarily need to ignore whatever's wrong with you. It doesn't matter if you can do more things, because not sleeping isn't healthy as surely doesn't help your concentration and energy levels."

She glares at Fred as he speaks, causing to him scold himself with every word that leaves his mouth yet he simply doesn't understand how she can just let her lack of sleep be. He doesn't even think that she likes him back, so in the best-case scenario, he didn't ruin anything romantic between the two of them now.

"I'm _handling_ it," Hermione says, her voice rather angry.

Then, she moves into a new position so that her back is to him with her knees pulled up to her chest, and opens her book again. Fred looks at her and sighs. He wants to say something, but he isn't sure what — ''sorry that I care about you'' doesn't sound like a good option — and for a few minutes he sits there, eating his breakfast and hoping that she'll calm down and face him again.

The pages in her book turn every minute, hinting that luckily for Fred, she can't feel him staring at the back of her head. It's one of the times when he wishes that she wasn't his brother's best friend. Hitting on girls that aren't that close to his family is a lot easier, especially since he doesn't have to fear they'll see him as nothing more than someone's brother. But, of course, he _has_ to have a crush on Hermione.

When he grows tired of sitting there and feeling their time alone coming to an end, he gets up and takes a seat on her chair's arm. The armchair creaks in protests and slightly leans further back, while Hermione tries to balance itself on it and turns to give Fred a dirty look. He smiles at her in response, hoping to appear charming or at least cute.

"Wha'cha reading?" he asks casually, only to be ignored in return. "And should I worry about you not using my Christmas present, Granger? _Sorry_ , I meant Hermione."

Still, nothing. Fred looks at the side of her face, noticing her clenched jaw and tries to rush himself into making her speak to him. He knows he isn't very good at being completely understanding. Unfortunately, joking and teasing don't fit into that category yet it's all he has to offer. And so, he leans forward until his head is next to hers, his breath is felt on her shoulder and his chest is almost touching her shoulder.

Looking at the text in her book, he asks, "How long is this book? This is page 349 and you're barely in the middle of it."

Groaning, Hermione closes her book and gets up. Afraid she'll leave, Fred stands up as well and comes to a stand in front of her. He studies her expression and realizes that she isn't furious, but it's clear that she doesn't want to be there with him. _Great_.

"Look, love, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to tell you what to do, I'm just worried about you," he says, now serious.

She sighs and her expression seems to soften. "I know, but it's my _own_ business. I already have Harry and your mum watching me like a hawk. I'm trying to handle it, so it could be nice if everyone would stop worrying because it's making _me_ worry _more_ …" she explains, before pausing. "Sorry, being so worried about can be a little overwhelming. I'm starting to feel like Harry did."

"Noted," Fred says with a small chuckle, his green eyes focused on her brown ones. "But not worrying about you is not as easy as you make it sound."

Frowning, Hermione asks, "Why?"

The truth is, Fred considered telling her how he feels several times but most of the time it felt like a bad idea. Now, it seems like the world is handing him an opportunity to do that and he must admit it's tempting. She continues to look at him as he considers his options and her confused expression seems rather cure, making his thoughts lean towards one obvious direction.

"Well, we all know you for years, so we obviously care about you, and you have like three best friends here right now and I…" Fred licks his lips, the words he wants to say dancing on the tip of his tongue. "Here's a concept—" he pauses again. "I fancy you."

The frown disappears from Hermione's features, yet her eyes widen slightly. The two stare at each other and Fred's heart starts beating so fast that he wonders if she can hear it. Maybe if this was one of these romantic, silly books that Ginny used to read, he would have leaned forward and kissed Hermione, but he's pretty sure he'll be facing rejection any moment now.

Her lips turn into a smile and Fred can't believe what he's seeing. He's about to smile back, happier than he has been in a rather long time, but then hears the witch's response.

"Really funny, Fred. Nice try, though," Hermione says and he can recognize the emotion behind her expression — light amusement.

"No, wait—" he says as she moves around him and heads to the kitchen.

With her book pressed against her chest, Hermione raises her eyebrows at him. "Like I would believe that," she says, her head tilting to the side.

Shocked, Fred stares at her with his mouth hanging open. For as long as she washes her dishes in the Muggle way, he tries to figure out how to respond or what to do. However, she seems to sure that he's messing with her that he has no idea what to do. He doesn't understand why she thinks he couldn't be serious and he thinks back to what happened, trying to pinpoint something that could have made Hermione think he was joking.

"Good morning," a cheery voice says from the stairs and Molly Weasley wakes in. "I see you two are up early again."

If he wasn't so speechless, Fred would have been annoyed that his mother interrupted his time with Hermione. Fortunately, the said girl and his mum start talking, which prevents either of them from noticing his long state of surprise.

Eventually, Fred gets back to the couch and finishes his breakfast, feeling bitter. His breakfast awaits him and he continues eating, still hungry, while his gaze travels to Hermione more than usual. As always, she doesn't notice and fortunately, so does his mother, who lets him be once she sees him eating.

It could be the perfect time for him to let go of his emotions for her and let go of her, pretend it was always just a joke, but, surprisingly, he feels more determined than ever to make his feeling clear to her. So, he relaxes in his seat, trying to plan what he'll do tomorrow morning.

* * *

 **Author's note:** Wow, thank you for all the follows, the favorites and the reviews on this story! It honestly makes me so happy to see that so many people like it.

Poor Fred, haha. Obviously, things aren't going as planned for him (and this won't be the only time *evil smile*) but it doesn't mean that the result will be bad ;)

I already started working on next chapter, but I'm not sure where it will be finished. I hoped you like this chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE |** THE TWIN THING

The first thing that Fred notices when he wakes up the next day, is that it's dark. He stares at the ceiling for a while, wondering if he should go back to sleep, yet something inside of him keeps nudging him to check what the time is. Even though he's still not entirely over how Hermione reacted yesterday to his confession, he still wants to spend time with her.

He wonders if maybe she laughed because she thinks the possibility that he fancies her seems so _impossible_ to her. It makes him feel like the only thing to change the situation is to prove to her that he does like her but even then, he suspects she will see it as a joke. He never thought being a prankster would cause something like this and he runs a hand down his face, frustrated.

Sitting up, he looks out of the window to his left. The sun beginning to shine in the horizon and to paint the dark sky in warmer colors than the dark blue that's covering most of it. He leans back and wonders what to do next.

As time passes by, Fred decides that staying in his bed for a while is the best option. The warmth of his covers is too comfortable to leave them yet. He'll get up when the sun will be higher. And so, he continues sitting in his bed, drifting in and out of sleep with one thought running through his head in between — _don't fall asleep so you can see Hermione._

Eventually, he hears a door closing and someone walking down the stairs. He reaches out for his wand and Apparates to the couch in the living room just a few seconds before the said witch comes down the stairs.

"Fred?" Hermione asks in surprise, her voice still sleepy.

The redhead pushes himself off the couch, mainly so he won't fall asleep again and says, "Good morning, Hermione."

"Good morning. You're up early," she notes, frowning in slight confusion.

"You're also up early" he replies and follows her into the kitchen and starts looking for something to eat.

In the meantime, Hermione fills the kettle with water and casts a spell on the water to boil. When their gazes meet, Fred smiles at her, even though he can't stop thinking about her reaction yesterday.

"What do you want for breakfast?" He leans back on the kitchen counter and watches her get two mugs ready. The sight makes him smile. He takes a few steps towards the refrigerator, opens it and says, "We have eggs, bread, the salad that Mum made with that weird Muggle sauce Dad bought, peanut butter, cheese, veggies—"

"You don't have to list me everything, Fred. I have eyes, you know," she says with a teasing smirk. "Do you want sugar in your tea?"

"Who said I wanted tea?" He glances at her with a smirk of his own, as he starts pulling several ingredients for toast,

The question makes Hermione's eyes widen and her smile disappears as she looks completely embarrassed, opening and closing her mouth a few times without saying anything. With his amazing acting skills, which he developed over the years to try and get himself out of trouble — _try_ being the key word — he simply stares at her while closing the refrigerator and putting the ingredients on the kitchen counter. He only lasts about seven seconds before he bursts into laughter.

"I was joking, love," he says in between laughing. "Two sugars, please."

Hermione's widened eyes change the slightest in size as she glares at him. Then, she slaps his arm — not very painfully but it makes him laugh harder — and she huffs in annoyance. She gets back to the tea and pours the steaming water into the two mugs. He continues glancing at her, waiting for another response and notices the way she's loudly mixing the sugar into the tea.

"You're going to wake the entire family like this," Fred says carefully and, fortunately, she listens and moves the spoon more carefully in one of the mugs. "Look, I'm sorry—"

Sighing, she puts one of the mugs next to him and says, "There's nothing to apologize for. I'm sorry I'm cranky, I just didn't sleep well."

"Nightmares?" he guesses carefully and reminds himself to be careful about this subject after yesterday.

Silently, he offers to make her toast by gesturing at his own sandwich-in-process and she nods.

"Not exactly, but it wasn't a good dream either," says Hermione.

They both start making toasts for themselves and since Hermione takes longer than he does, Fred gets the sandwich toaster ready. It's one of the only Muggle electronic devices he knows how to use thanks to his dad, who couldn't help but buy one once he found out it exists. Then, he notices that Hermione and he are, dare he say, in sync and it makes his heart flutter.

"I actually used your Christmas gift today, when I couldn't fall back asleep. It was nice to escape for a bit," she adds.

Her words bring a rather proud smile to his lips. She notices it and her own expression lightens up — Fred hopes he isn't imagining it — and it reawakens the butterflies in his stomach. He can't help but think that it would be nice to be somewhere else for a bit, even though having his own apartment with George gives him enough freedom. Yet, a short change of scenery would be nice and he wishes it could somehow include a certain, beautiful and amazing witch.

"Morning!" a very familiar voice calls from behind Fred, who closes his eyes and mentally scolds his twin brother.

Hermione looks over her shoulder and slightly smiles. "Morning, George."

With pursed lips, Fred keeps his attention on the toaster oven and tries to ignore the ping of jealousy that he feels. It seems like Hermione is always happy to see other people in the morning but is always confused whenever she sees him.

"What are you doing up so early?" Fred asks with a hint of bitterness in his voice — he knows that now his brother is here, the conversation Hermione and he were having is over whether he likes it or now.

George, who's now roaming through the fridge in search of something to eat, looks at him strangely and says, "It's the twin thing, I suppose, Freddie. Suddenly, I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep. What's for breakfast?"

Fred eyes him suspiciously to which George smiles. The former's mood has dropped — he woke up earlier, thinking he would get more time alone with Hermione than usual. Instead, he gets the complete opposite.

"Toast and tea," Hermione says after several seconds of silence from Fred.

"Hmmm," George says thoughtfully and his twin wishes he could shove his head into the fridge. "I'll pass. I'm currently in the mood for pie."

Fred, who has been glaring at the toaster, eases up when George takes out their mother's apple pie and heads to the dining table. Then, Fred steals a curious glance at Hermione. She's already looking at him, but the moment their gazes meet, she looks away shyly and brings her cup of tea to her lips.

Behind them, George decides to fill the silence and starts telling them about what he dreamed about — he had to make a speech in front of all of Hogwarts, which he did naked, and one guy, whom he didn't recognize but George is sure is 'a Slytherin git' seemed rather satisfied about the naked part. In his dream, George didn't mind about the latter.

"Merlin's beard," Fred mutters, sure that they George is giving them way too much information, as his twin goes on about the 'Slytherin git'. He glances at Hermione — he does it a lot, yet he simply can't help it — and sees how much she's trying not to laugh. "I'm sorry you have to listen to this."

"It's fine," she replies, smiling. "I think the toasts are ready."

One look at the sandwich toaster makes him realize she's right. The smell of their toasts fills the air and he opens the machine. Without thinking too much, Fred reached out to take hers first, only it's so hot he needs to immediately put it back down and pull his hand away. Hermione, being herself, comes to stand closer to him and uses a knife to move each toast to a plate.

"You and your Muggle wisdom," he says with a shake of his head.

Smiling again, Hermine says, "Not wisdom, just common sense, Fred."

The witch is about to say something else when they are interrupted again by George. " _Oi_ , are you listening to me?"

Simultaneously, Fred sighs in annoyance and Hermione rolls her eyes, even though the smile continues to play on her lips. With that, she takes her plate and mug, and goes over to the dining table to join his twin. She sits with her back to Fred, who still hasn't moved and caught his brother's eyes instead. George gives him a knowing look, to which Fred replies with a middle finger.

Just like that, every opportunity to speak alone with Hermione flies out of the window. Fred is used to it by now — it's the third time this is happening in a row — and he takes full responsibility for it, however, by the time he even starts thinking about how to get Hermione alone in another way, she leaves the table to go and get ready for a meeting she has in the ministry.

With only his twin by his side, Fred's shoulders drop in disappointment and he looks at his breakfast as if it had gone cold. He can feel George looking at him and it's another thing that upsets him because he thought he was doing a good job of hiding his feelings, and now it's ruined. He doesn't want to hide anything from George, but he doesn't know what will happen with his heart and he would rather deal with this unknown alone.

"So… Granger?" George says as he cuts himself another piece of pie.

Fred looks at the curvy edges that the pie has from being cut with a fork and he already knows how annoyed their mum will be with it.

"Yeah," he replies and sighs, before continuing to eat his breakfast. "Can you please not mention it to Mum? Or… anyone? Just this once, Georgie."

George smirks, possibly enjoying the power of knowing his brother's secret when they hear someone walking down the stairs. "I'll think about it," he says right before their mother appears. Then, he leans forward and whispers to Fred, "By the way, you're doing a bloody horrible job in getting closer to her."

"Sod off," Fred replies automatically.

Fortunately for Fred, their conversation is cut short since their mother is within hearing range. She greets them good morning, before noticing how George is eating her apple pie and raising her voice at him for eating with absolutely no manners. With things going on as he expected, Fred tries to hide his satisfied smile but also wishes that he could expect the turn of events with Hermione instead of with his Mum.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** This chapter was so difficult for me to write, I don't even know why. It feels a little messy, but I hoped you liked it and please let me know if you did! Also, thank you again for all the reviews, follows and favorites.

Also, I said this story is going to be around five chapters, but I'm going to make it longer (8-10 chapters) because I want to show a little more of Fremione's relationship when we'll get there :)


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR** | BRILLIANT

He wants to slap himself, he really does. You'd think that with the opportunities that Fred has due to Hermione being in the Burrow until the new year, he would be doing his best to get closer to her. But no, because he just has to mess up _again_. He wakes up early and his bed feels like the best place in the world, making it difficult for him to keep his eyes open for longer than two minutes and so, he falls asleep. When he wakes up and goes down to the kitchen, Hermione is gone and he has to spend breakfast with George, who has a great time making fun of his devastation.

The rest of his day is spent at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, where business is going very well thanks to the holidays season. Fortunately, it means most of the time George is too busy to tease Fred further. The latter doesn't need his twin to feel bad — he can feel himself running out of chances to talk to Hermione before she'll leave the Burrow. He even wants to come up with some sort of plan during the day, but he doesn't have time for it, especially when an angry mother comes in with her daughter, claiming that one of the twins' products were used on the girl who now has a small bruise near her jaw. The said mother spent forty minutes yelling at both of the twins until she calmed down when they offered to let her get two items from the store for free.

By the time Fred and George are back at the Burrow, dinner has been over for almost an hour and everyone is in their rooms, aside from their mother, who makes sure they eat proper food. Even though his muscles ache and he feels like he might as well fall asleep right there on the dining table, Fred eats everything that's handed to him. All the food makes him feel better and George agrees by simply moaning in pleasure a few times, which is enough to make Molly go to her room.

"Hermione isn't back yet, so make sure that if one of you is here when the poor girl will come, show her everything there is to eat," Molly tells them with a stern look as she turns towards the stairs. "She has spent her entire day at the ministry and Merlin knows if they gave her time to eat there."

Fred's eyes light up at the mention of Hermione while George smiles at their mother and salutes at her.

"Of course, Mum," George replies and waits until she's gone to turn to his brother. "Well, Freddie, looks like the world isn't completely against you after all. I'll be out of your way, let you wait for Granger alone _if_ I can take those three last chocolate frogs."

"Take it and go," Fred urges, though he isn't sure he will be able to wait for the said girl for too long.

After taking the chocolate frogs, George Apparates away, but not before sending his brother a wink. Finally alone, Fred closes his eyes and leans his cheeks on the palms of his hands. He wishes he could go to bed but after he already wasted time in bed instead of being with Hermione in the morning, he forces himself to stay in the kitchen. Not moving instead of lying down is good enough, he thinks in an attempt to comfort himself. At some point, he lays his arms on the top of the table and uses them as a pillow for his head. It's not ideal, yet it makes him feel better and it allows his thoughts to take him away for a while.

A pop sound makes Fred's eyes snap open as if he never closed them. It's an alertness that has mostly set into him since the war and his body relaxes when he sees a familiar curly-haired witch walk in. Hermione doesn't seem to be in a much better state than him with her curls slightly messier than usual and with her shoulders slumped. It takes her a few seconds to notice his presence, which causes her to mutter something under her breath and put her hand over her shoulder, startled. After relaxing, she meets his gaze and smiles.

"Hi," says Hermione and makes a short pause. "You're down here all alone?"

Fred, who by this point is sitting up with his tiredness partly forgotten, says, "I'm glad you noticed that and yes, I've been waiting for you since Mom ordered me not to leave this spot until you've eaten properly. Well, more or less. I promise I won't tell if you feel like just eating a massive piece of cake, though."

"I appreciate that, Fred," Hermione replies, smiling and slightly joking as well. She puts her bag on top of the dining table and sighs when she sits down. "I would love a normal meal though, I just want to sit for longer than a second."

"What in Godric's name were you doing in the Ministry till this hour?" he asks curiously. "I thought you didn't pick a job yet."

Leaning back in her seat, she explains. "I didn't, but there are all these people that want me to choose to work for them, so I've spent the entire day walking around all of these offices and listening to everything they have to offer. I was excited in the morning, but it became rather exhausting at some point. And then the lady that I had to meet with last insisted to take me out for drinks and talked my ears off."

Fred listens attentively to her answer while thinking that he should get up off his arse, make a move and get her a plate with whatever she wants. However, only the thought of walking around makes his muscles ache again. Damn the world for giving him the worst timings to impress a girl.

"You can always come help George and me at the shop. We actually have enough people working but I'd find you something to do there," he suggests, both of them knowing fully well that he isn't serious. However, he would do it if she would want him to. "Mom would probably kill me though, and I don't think you'd like it."

Smiling, Hermione replies, "Thanks for the offer but no, though I do love your shop."

Rather sure she has never told him that before, Fred looks at her with an utterly surprised expression. "You do?"

With a chuckle, she pulls herself up and turns towards the refrigerator. "I do. I think some of your products are… _smart_. You might now be working at a high position at the ministry, but it's obvious that you're quite brilliant by all the products you and George come up with."

She turns her back to him and heads to take a clean plate. In the meanwhile, a big smile crosses Fred's lips. If he'd has the energy and if he knew how to make her not see it, he'd jump up with his fist up in the air in victory. However, hearing these things from Hermione — the girl he likes more and more — is enough to make him stand up and follow her. He doesn't know what he's doing, he only knows that he can't hold this in him any longer and he has to do _something_.

"Remember when I told you that I fancy you?" he asks casually and she glances at him as she puts some vegetables on her plate.

"Yeah…" she says hesitantly.

Looking into her brown eyes makes it clear to him that if he's going to do it, he needs to it properly and make sure she knows he's serious this time. And so, he bites his lower lips, thinking, until he comes to stand merely a step away from her. Hermione's staring at him, her eyes slightly wide and he tries not to get nervous by it. Then, he can hear footsteps coming down, followed by Ron's voice shooing away the girl's cat. He needs to act fast.

"You thought I was joking, but I think I'm making myself pretty clear here with everything I'm doing," Fred tells her.

She titles her head to the side, possibly annoyed. "Fred—"

"You're brilliant, so think about this. _Really_ think about this. You can figure it out yourself and all I want is that for you to know, nothing more," he insists.

Hermione is about to say something, yet her two best friends can now be well heard coming downstairs and it's enough to make her go quiet. Fred slightly raises his eyebrows at her as he steps back. He wishes her a good night, to which her reply is barely audible, and heads upstairs. When he meets Harry and Ron, they greet each other at the bottom of the stairs. Fred acts normal, but with a small movement of his wand, he makes his little brother trip on air, which makes both boys stumble into each other and nearly fall. It's only fair in Fred's eyes to have a little revenge on them and it does satisfy him, but he goes to his room with nervousness in his stomach, wondering what's going to happen with Hermione next.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I wrote this basically in one sitting, wow. As always, thank you for the comments, the follows and the favorites. I hope you like this chapter :)


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE |** OFF BALANCE

The next day, Fred finds himself awake in the same early hour. He assumes his body has gotten used to getting up at this hour and yet, he doesn't hurry to get up. Whatever will happen today with Hermione could change everything and knowing it keeps him in his bed. He replays everything that's happened in the last few days with her and his eyes close as he sighs in disappointment. He never thought that Hermione won't believe he has feelings for her, though, at the moment, it's better than rejection. Or so he tells himself to keep his spirit up.

It's completely silent around the Burrow, creating white noise in Fred's ears. His mind, however, is buzzing as he tries to figure out what his next step will be. Going down to the kitchen and waiting for Hermione and her response to the way he feels about her seems like the best thing to do, but imagining the way she'll reject him is enough to make him less reluctant to leave his room. Fred has never had any problems with self-esteem. The several girls he flirted with over the years in Hogwarts and at the shop proved to him that he wasn't just some overconfident lad with poor looks or no charm, rather the opposite. With Hermione it's all different, though — the flirting always comes from his part and she's not just another girl, she's Hermione Granger. She's brilliant, which is one of the main things that makes him believe she's out of his league. Before her, he never quite thought that way about a girl.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, thinking about her eventually makes Fred push himself off his bed and head downstairs. He's slightly nervous even though he hasn't heard a single noise coming from there, not even footsteps. When he reaches the bottom of the stairs, he sees that the kitchen and living room are indeed empty, even though the sun is now quite high in the sky, meaning Hermione would normally be down by now. Fred takes a seat on the armrest of the couch, not calm enough to sit down in a more relaxing position or eat breakfast.

One minute passes. Five minutes pass. Twelve minutes pass. Nineteen minutes pass. And then, he realizes something must have changed and today he won't be spending breakfast with the girl. Hopefully, the reason she's still sleeping is that she's finally getting a decent amount of sleep. However, Fred feels frustrated with himself and Apparates back to his bed instead of walking upstairs. It's not only because he just lost another opportunity to spend time alone with Hermione, but also because he feels like he should have never told her anything about how he feels about her. Ever since he did that, it feels like everything got messed up and he longs for another normal morning with her, even if it will be difficult for him to hide his feelings.

He spends about an hour in his bed after that, tossing and turning since his body insists not to let him fall back to sleep. By the time he follows George to breakfast, it sounds like almost everyone is awake. The kitchen is filled with all kinds of smells that make Fred realize how hungry he is, and several conversations are taking place around the long dining table. Spotting Hermione is very easy since everyone else in the room, aside from Harry, are redheads. Her hair looks bigger and more tangled than usual. Her brown eyes meet his but she looks away so quickly that Fred wonders if he imagined it.

Of course, he finds himself sitting almost straight across from Hermione, which makes him feel like the world is laughing at him. He tries to focus on the gossip that his mother is discussing with his dad and on the comments George and Ron make every now and then. Still, it's very difficult not to look at Hermione every five seconds. Every minute of the breakfast drags by, making his will to disappear stronger by the second. And even though he tries to let Hermione be, since it's rather clear to him that his feelings aren't mutual, he can't prevent himself from noticing how she's stuffing food into her mouth and how her excuse to leave breakfast early sounds made up. She claims she needs to go and replace some book she bought and didn't like, which he would've believed if she wouldn't have been stuttering through the entire explanation.

As soon as she's Apparated, his shoulders drop and George gives him a pat on the back. "Cheer up mate, Lee told me he's gotten us invitations for that massive New Year's party in Diagon Alley. You'll snog some pretty girl there and feel better," George whispers to him.

Fred drags his gaze to his twin and glares. "You have awful ideas."

"It worked for me before," George shrugs.

As if having one sibling bother him isn't enough, Ginny interrupts their conversation. "Are you okay, Fred? You look..." she asks with a frown yet never completes her sentence.

For some reason, his sister's question suddenly turns everyone's attention to him. Fred mentally groans. His mum starts complaining that he hasn't been eating enough and he's _this_ close to leaving the kitchen to go drown himself in the shower or something of that sort, when Ron says something that draws his attention.

"Hermione has been weird today as well. I think she has a secret boyfriend or something," the youngest Weasley boy says, which makes everyone's attention — including Fred's — move to him.

Even though Fred heard that something happened between Hermione and Ron during the war, as far as the former knows, they remained friends. Ron was one of the main reasons why Fred took his time before making any sort of move on her, just in case something was still going on between her and Ron. After some time, Ginny informed him that they remained friends, unaware of what the small piece of information meant to him. Judging by how his younger brother doesn't seem jealous at the idea of Hermione seeing someone but more confused, Ginny wasn't wrong.

"Merlin, Ron, would you stop making stuff up?" Ginny snaps. "She's not seeing anyone, you git. Trust me."

"Way to kick a man while he's down," Fred grumbles so low that only his twin hears him.

George gives him a sympathetic look. Logically, he should trust Ginny's words and yet, simply the idea of Hermione seeing someone else is enough to make his mood worse. While his younger siblings start fighting over who knows Hermione better and where did Ron come up with his theory, Fred excuses himself from the table and gets back to his room. He has two entire days of work at the shop before New Year's Eve tomorrow night, but his body feels like it's made out of bricks. He wishes he could stay home and pity himself in bed the entire day. Well, maybe if he'll be lucky enough an angry customer will kill him, Fred thinks to himself bitterly as he starts changing into work-appropriate clothes and sighs heavily.

* * *

Fred comes back home rather late and alone. George has abandoned him after work to go on a date with Angelina, who he has been dating for half a year now. For some reason most of the relationships of the Weasley children are complicated — Ginny's dating Ron's best friend, George is dating Fred's ex, and of course, Fred's in love with Ron's other best friend. He hates that last part because he wasn't supposed to fall for Hermione, he didn't even realize that he did until today. Even though he was busy at the store all day long, the bitter feeling didn't leave his chest and when a girl who looks slightly like Hermione walked into Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, he nearly had a heart attack. That's how he realized he's actually in love with her — he never felt something so strong for another person.

Since he already had something to eat at the shop, Fred Apparates into his room, ready to fall into a deep sleep that hopefully will let both his body and his mind rest. He doesn't even consider waiting up for his twin, unsure if George will even be back home today — not that Fred wants to think about _that_ , thank you very much. He stomps to the open door of their room, ready to push it shut and collapse on his bed, when he sees the witch that has been on his mind the entire day walking down the stairs. Fred's gaze lingers on her for a moment and he's ready to somehow hide from her, with the space behind his door seeming to be the quickest solution. However, she then looks straight at him. His plan is immediately thrown out of the window.

A long moment of silence passes between the two as they stare at each other, surprised. Then, he simply nods at her and starts closing the door to his room. He feels like such an idiot for not knowing what to say to her, yet a part of his thinks that it could be for the best because maybe she doesn't want to talk to him at all.

"Fred," Hermione suddenly says, causing him to stop moving with the door only half closed and see that she has taken a step forward. He doesn't respond, waiting to see what she'll say next but he does meet her gaze. "Can we talk for a minute?'

Should have hid instead of staring at her, he scolds himself. "Of course," he says and opens the door, gesturing for her to come inside. "George won't be back for a while," he adds when Hermione seems hesitant.

Slowly, she steps into the room, her eyes wandering around the four walls and studying the unfamiliar surroundings. Behind her, Fred makes sure to close the door to give them privacy and prevent anyone from seeing the two of them alone together, which will either raise questions or lead to someone interrupting them. The direction in which things seem to be heading between Hermione and him makes him dread his conversation, yet he tells himself that the quicker his heart will break, the better it will be for him. At some point.

A few seconds later, they are standing in front of each other in the middle of the room. The awkwardness hangs heavily around them and their body language doesn't hide it either; Hermione's hands are crossed over her chest and Fred's hands are tucked into the pockets of his pants. He wishes for the conversation to be over as quickly as possible, like drinking one of those disgusting healing potions that his mother used to make when he was sick at as a kid. However, the ball is in Hermione's hands now. All he can do is wait.

"About what you said…" the curly-haired witch starts after about a minute, obviously considering her words before speaking. "About you, your feeling… I'm sorry. I honestly believed you were joking with me. I realize now that I was wrong. I'm sorry I didn't take you more seriously, but I am used to you and George fooling around, so—"

"I know and I understand," Fred interrupts her with a nod. A part of him wants to say more than that, yet he feels like he has already embarrassed himself enough in front of her. He's more nervous about being alone with her than he usually is, although he knows what's coming. The fact that Hermione looks beautiful in front of him with her soft curls and the brown eyes that he grew so fond of staring at him isn't helping. "Look,' he adds and rubs the back of his neck. "I think I know what you're going to say and it's honestly okay, I'm not angry or anything. I knew that fancying you isn't a good idea from the beginning, but we could probably get back to normal in a few months or so if it won't be too weird for you—"

To his surprise, she frowns at his words and her frown becomes deeper as he goes on until she's the one interrupting him. " _No_. Merlin, just let me finish," she scolds him and Fred simply stares, not sure what's happening. Hermione sighs, taking a second before looking at him again. "You surprised me, Fred, and in all honesty… you threw me off balance. I didn't expect you to like me, not for a moment. I don't know how I feel about you right now, nor do I know when I'll figure it out, but it doesn't mean that… that I'm not… it doesn't mean that _this_ is one-sided."

Mind blown, Fred doesn't have a better word to describe how he feels. Of course, he understands what she's saying and that this doesn't mean she likes him back necessarily, but the fact that she _might_ fancy him back is enough to completely change his mood.

"It doesn't mean that it _isn't_ one-sided, either. It means that I don't know yet and I'm sorry that I've been weird about it this morning. I'm just trying to take it all in and see where I stand," she continues, oblivious to how even a small chance of her feeling something romantic for Fred is enough for him.

"Sure," Fred replies, the excitement easy to spot in his voice.

They stay silent for several seconds after that and even though it's too early to be this happy, which Fred is aware of, he can't help but let a smile spread across his lips. He feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders, even though the part of him that's scared this will end with rejection doesn't fade away. Hermione rolls her eyes. Then, when she meets his gaze again, he notices that isn't looking at him with annoyance but with a certain softness.

"So, we can go back to normal?" he asks eventually.

This time, there's a hint of a smile on Hermione's lips. "Of course," she says and he notices how she seems more relaxed now. "Goodnight, then."

"Goodnight," he echoes, his stomach filling with butterflies as they hold each other's gaze for a few seconds.

Fred remains looking at her, while Hermione herself approaches the door of his room. She stops there for a second, with the door slightly ajar, before peeking into the hallway to check if the coast is clear. Then, she's out of the door, her footsteps softly heard in Fred's room along with whatever conversation Ron and Harry are having somewhere upstairs. Fred waits until she joins the conversation to smile again and throw himself onto his bed.

* * *

 **Author's note:** Ahhh, I'm so sorry that this chapter took longer than the previous ones, but I'm really busy. At least this chapter is a rather long one, lol.

Thank you to everyone supporting this story and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Like I mentioned before, this story will be longer than the five chapter I initially planned (I'm thinking around ten chapters). **I'm thinking about adding a bonus chapter once the story will be over from Hermione's POV so let me know if it's something you would want to read!**

Also, I don't own Harry Potter.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX |** PLANS

On December 31st, Molly Weasley wakes up extremely early to her son's disappointment. Only two of his mornings with Hermione were ruined since Christmas Eve, yet Fred feels like it's been a long time since they calmly spent time together. So, when he sees his mother standing in the kitchen and flipping through recipes, he sighs, disappointed that something is interrupting him and Hermione. _Again._

Fortunately, a few steps later he notices the latter sitting on the couch with a book in her lap. A smile uncontrollably spreads across his lips, but he looks away before she can notice it, not wanting to embarrass himself. Fred walks over to where his mother is to get himself breakfast and to give himself some extra time to plan how to approach Hermione and what to say to her.

"Morning, Mum," he greets Molly with a kiss to her cheek, yet she barely pays any attention to him. "Everything's ready for New Year's Eve dinner?" he asks teasingly.

"Oh, shush," she replies, shooing him away from her with a wave of her hand. Fred smiles again, enjoying using the importance of making tonight's dinner perfect against her. "It's not like you and George will be here to enjoy it with us anyway."

The reference to the party the twins are supposed to attend tonight makes his smile falter. He knows that his mum is only teasing him and that there will be enough guests to keep her busy — the remaining members of the Order of Phoenix are coming along with Ron and Ginny's friends. However, it isn't the thing that bothers Fred, but rather the fact that Hermione will be at the Burrow tonight, while he'll be somewhere else.

"It's only one evening, Mum," he replies, almost groaning. "We spent every other evening here at home."

He stands behind what he's saying but he also feels unlucky. When he agreed to go with George to a party, he couldn't have imagined that his relationship with Hermione will be where it is now. Of course, not that much happened between them but still, he might have a tiny chance with her. And either way, he didn't consider the fact that he would prefer to spend New Year's Eve near her rather than anywhere else.

He's about to glance at the said witch, when his mother says, "Alright, alright, for now just get out of my kitchen."

Fred gives her a two fingers salute in response and grabs himself something to eat. He's silently grateful for the fact that his Mum needs him out of the kitchen since it means he won't get in trouble for going to sit down next to a certain girl in the living room. A few minutes later, with a plate filled with food in his hands, he heads to there and somehow doesn't drop the plate when he sees Hermione looking at him.

"Morning, Fred," she greets him with a small smile.

There are still bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep but her hair is more tamed today and she seems relaxed with her books in her lap. He realizes that it's a nice change to how she used to always looks so nervous when she'd be going through piles of books in Hogwarts for homework or to get ready for exams.

"Good morning," he replies and takes a seat on the empty space on the couch.

He can't help but steal a glance at Hermione, who now seems less focused on her book. Her legs are crossed on the couch as she looks at nothing in particular until she glances at him for a second in a rather shy way. Fred struggles to hold back his smile and picks up his sandwich.

"Any interesting plans for today, love?" He asks between bites.

"Luckily, no. I'm a little tired after the last few days," she admits, slightly smiling. "What about you?

Fred makes a dismissive sound and says, "You know good old me, working at the shop until my feet will fall off, though we'll be closing earlier today. Tell me more about your work offers; have you made a decision yet?"

The first indication of her answer is a heavy sigh. Then, she says, "Not really. It's just so difficult to make a choice like this. I mean, I want to make the right choice, only first I have to figure out which one it is." The stress seems to make her slightly frown before she turns to look at him. "Did you and George know you were making the right choice when you opened the shop?"

A fond smile crosses Fred's lips. He's not used to seeing the great Hermione Granger unsure of what to do, but he likes that she's opening up to him with such a mundane fear. Personally, he assumed that Hermione knew perfectly well what she wanted to do and that she had a very clear goal. It's... interesting to know that he was wrong.

"We didn't, of course, and Mum was more than ready to kill us. It worked out, though," he says with a shrug before turning more serious. "Love, you have to take chances in life. I might not be the most experienced lad around when it comes to job offers and so on, but I think that you just need to take a chance and go for whatever feels right. You can wait months to figure out what's the best option, if not more, and you could still be wrong. Take a risk, go for whatever feels most right and learn from your mistakes along the way."

Hermione's expression relaxes during his speech and by the time he's finished talking, she seems to be thinking about what he said. He gives her room to think, yet a part of him doesn't like the lack of attention on him. So, he leans over and pokes her waist, making her jump and her book to almost fall. With a satisfied smile, he leans back in the armchair and continues eating his breakfast.

She glares at him, of course, but it's soon gone. "Thank you, Fred," she sounds and looks honest.

"For poking you? Anytime," he teases. She rolls her eyes. "Remember, you're young. You have the time to make a thousand mistakes and fix them. And you're Hermione bloody Granger, any place would be lucky to have you."

Her brown eyes don't leave his green ones as quickly as he would have expected them to. It doesn't scare him and he holds her gaze, his stomach turning in a familiar way when it comes to her, even though he has no idea what's going through her mind. Then, the moment is over as she lowers her gaze to the old couch they're sharing.

"I warn you though," he adds and his words draw her attention back to him. "I might have to kill you if you'll tell anyone I've had such a serious conversation with you. Not that they would believe you anyway."

Half smiling, she raises her hands in mock surrender and says, "I swear to keep quiet."

From then on, the conversation continues comfortably. Fred's jokes make Hermione laugh or at least smile, and whenever a short silence spreads between them, he fills it with a funny story or a question. Hermione doesn't seem to mind talking to him for so long, while Fred wouldn't want to spend his time doing anything else. Then, when it's time for him to get ready and head to the shop, her goodbye includes the sentence 'I'll see you tonight'. That's when he realizes that he has a problem because she might be expecting him to be at the New Year's Eve party his mother is hosting, while he's going to a party with his twin and Lee Jordan, their best friend.

Does it mean that she wants him to be at the Burrow tonight? Merlin, he won't be able to go to the party with George and Lee without thinking of her, now he's certain of that, but what if she only assumed his whereabouts for tonight and he's getting his hopes too high?

He debates on the subject for the rest of the day.

* * *

The room is dim and music is playing loudly between the four walls from a live band on stage. Most of the room is taken up by people dancing in what used to be an open space between the bar and the stage. Among the sweaty bodies is Fred, jumping up and down with his arms moving in a way that follows the beat of the upbeat song he knows all the words to. George, Lee, and Angelina are around him and even though he usually has a blast at parties, this time's different. Looking back, he realizes he made a mistake by coming here instead of going to the Burrow. His mind is there, so he should have saved himself the trouble and went there in the first place. Fred hates feeling like such a love-sick puppy, but he really can't help it. New Year's Eve is a big event, so what is he doing away from the witch he fancies?

Merlin, sometimes love is so dumb.

One song ends and another one begins, yet Fred doesn't continue dancing. It's pointless to force himself to have fun when he wants to be in an entirely different place. There is no assurance that he'll enjoy himself more at the Burrow and it's not as if Hermione and he are dating and she'll throw herself at him when she'll see him, but at least he'll get some peace of mind.

"Georgie," he calls over the music and pulls his twin closer to him. "I'm gonna go."

George looks confused for a moment while Lee gives them a curious glance. Then, the former smirks and asks, "Going to see a certain curly witch?"

Rolling his eyes, Fred nods, not feeling like trying to lie.

Before he can realize what's going on, his twin turns to Lee, yelling something about the latter owing him money and losing their bet. Bemused by the situation, Fred gives them a middle finger. He says goodbye to Angelina, who apologizes for her boyfriend's behavior as if Fred isn't used to this after spending every day with George for over twenty years now. Then, he walks out of the club and takes a moment to fix his appearance before Apparating to the Burrow.

Once Fred's outside of his home, he can already hear the celebration that's happening inside, including his Mum's laughter. It brings a small smile to his face. The door is open and the closer he gets to the house, the more people he can see filling his family's living room and kitchen with dinner obviously over. Since the war, holidays are hard since it's when you feel the empty space that the people who passed away left behind them. Fred goes through the names of everyone he personally knew that died during the war and allows himself to feel the pain of them being gone as he watches the party. Then, he walks inside.

His mum is, of course, in the kitchen, even though this time she's not preparing anything but simply standing there and happily talking with some acquaintances. Teddy Lupin is resting against her hip as she holds him, the latter wearing a look that makes it clear that the toddler doesn't quite care about the scene around him. Both of them brighten up as soon as they see Fred walking through the doorway and while Molly praises Fred for coming home instead of spending the evening at some 'silly party', Teddy reaches out for him. Fred takes him without any hesitation — he's working on secretly turning the boy into George's and his protege — and greets the guests around him.

Moving deeper into the house, his eyes scan the room in search of Hermione. However, with people constantly stopping him to either say hi or wish him a happy new year, the task at hand is not as simple as it seems. Fred is polite to anyone who approaches him yet he feels rather impatient. Merlin, he just hopes he won't find her with a guy who's trying to make a move on her.

"Hey, little lad," he says and turns to look at Teddy once they have a moment alone. "Do you see Hermione anywhere?"

The two-year-old begins looking around, turning in Fred's hands as much as possible. In the meantime, Fred also continues his searches and it feels like he's already scanned the room a hundred times.

"He-mi-o-ne," Teddy says gleefully after a minute and the redhead follows the kid's outstretched hand with his gaze.

There is a fair amount of people in the direction which Teddy is pointing at, but after a moment Fred sees her. Hermione is wearing her hair down, her curls looking different under all the fairy lights that his mom decided to decorate the living room with. Fortunately, the only guy she's standing next to is Charlie, the oldest Weasley sibling and the only one out of them who has absolutely zero interest in romance — the only things he's in love with are dragons and adventures.

"Good job, mate," Fred cheers quietly and turns his attention to Teddy again. "Now, listen, my little friend, you'll get to see some cool dragon things if you'll help me, alright?"

Happily, Teddy replies, "Da-gon!"

Fred smiles. "Yeah. We're going to walk over there and I need you to start talking about dragons so that my dear brother can go away with you and show you all those cool dragon stuff. Don't worry though, little Ted, I'll be there to help you as always. Okay?"

The child nods, smiling as well.

With that, Fred makes his way through the crows towards where Hermione is standing. She looks completely interested in whatever Charlie is telling her, and maybe also a bit confused but she still looks cute. Charlie notices his brother first and smiles at him, waving. Then, she notices him and a surprised look washes over her face. Fred winks at her without worrying the slightest about Charlie — he loves his older brother, but Charlie doesn't know shit about romance even if it would hit him on the head.

"Hello," Fred greets them and adjusts Teddy against his waist. "This fella couldn't stop talking about dragons so I decided to come and find you, dear brother."

Charlie wears the same smile that he always has on whenever someone says his favorite word, aka dragons. "You came to the right place! Ask away, Teddy."

Fred wants to groan at the possibility that his dear brother doesn't realize not everyone wants to hear everything he knows about dragons. That or the former is simply getting annoyed by the fact that Charlie is being a bit difficult by not going away already. No need to worry though.

"You must have so much to teach him, mate, why not take a seat? I'm sure you'll be more comfortable that way," Fred says enthusiastically and starts pushing his brother towards the sitting area while handing him Teddy. "Knock yourselves out."

If Charlie suspects something, he certainly doesn't show it, already rambling away to little Teddy about his favorite creatures. Relieved, Fred sighs and turns back towards Hermione, who's watching him with raised eyebrows. He's not sure if she's unimpressed or if she's simply waiting to see what else he has planned but, either way, he flashes her an innocent smile.

"Oh, Hermione, I haven't noticed you there," he says, teasing. "How is your evening?"

The curly witch rolls her eyes at him yet smiles. "Perfectly fine, thank you for asking, Frederick," she says and he crunches his nose at his full name. "So, how come you're here?" she then asks, and the way her gaze moves back and forth between him and random places across the room hints on her shyness.

"Ah, the party was boring so I thought I could come here, spend some time with certain people," Fred replies, shrugging.

Then, he sets his gaze on her, thinking about how he never thought brown could be as beautiful as the brown of her eyes. Hermione doesn't let him hold her gaze for long. She looks away from him and he spends a few more seconds looking at her, attempting to understand what's going through her mind and if she might be already making up her mind about him and her. When he finds no hint to the answers to these questions, he lets his gaze wander around the room, not wanting to freak her out by staring for too long.

"Are you enjoying your evening?" he asks after a minute, just as he sees his father is swaying by himself to the music that is playing in the room. Oh, Merlin, here we go.

"Yes," she says and a soft smile graces her lips. That expression along with the way her curls lie on her shoulders, looking softer and more tames than usual, makes Fred's heart swell. "It's nice to see everyone relaxed and together."

Even though she has been his focus since he arrived, he noticed the warm atmosphere that is filling the Burrow and how happy his parents look. He would hate to admit it out loud, but he liked to see his parents like his, especially after they almost lost Percy during the war. Fred wants to slap himself for staring at her again, though she doesn't seem to notice or to mind.

"Couldn't agree more, love," Fred responds after a moment, and even though Hermione now looks a bit redder than usual, she doesn't seem to notice he's still looking at her.

Of course, after a while, they are interrupted as always. Ginny comes to chat with Hermione and gives her brother a suspicious look. He has to stop himself from giving his little sister a middle finger, only because he thinks it would make him look more suspicious. He does not want his sister to be involved in his love life, thank you very much.

The night continues in a similar way; both Fred and Hermione talk to different people, but also have a few more short conversations with each other. Fred feels like she's the center he's moving around; no matter where he is in the room, she's right there in his line of view. Whether she's looking back at him or not, he feels like he can't stop looking at her. He's got it bad and he can hear George's imaginary voice laughing at him for being so whipped. Not that he cares that much about what his twin will have to say — Fred simply hopes he doesn't come off as needy or pushy in Hermione's eyes.

When midnight is near, everyone gathers around in the living room and face the clock in anticipation. Anyone who has their partner around goes to them, and Fred tries not to smile at the arm his dad has around his mum. It's then, with a glass of champagne in Fred's hands, the only company he'll have for this New Year's Eve, that the realization of it being the end of the holidays finally reaches him. He doesn't know when the next time he'll see Hermione will be and his stomach drops. Cheers erupt around him as the clock strikes midnight. He forces himself to smile as different people clink their champagne glasses with his, yet all he feels inside is concern.

A part of him considers waiting for the next day to catch Hermione alone, yet when he sees her sitting alone outside, he can't help but decide to approach her. She's sitting in the dark, right outside of the kitchen window, her knees drawn up to her chest and her head is tilted up as she seems to look at the stars. Fred knows he shouldn't be interrupting her, especially since he isn't quite sure what he'll tell her yet. However, he doesn't want to throw away an opportunity to talk with her alone and without any pressure one last time. For now, at least.

Fred immediately cuddles into himself when he steps outside by crossing his arms over his chest and raising his shoulder. He forgot how cold the air outside is and he's slightly worried about Hermione sitting there in this temperature. His gaze then moves from her figure, illuminated by the lights coming from inside the Burrow, to the sky. Several clouds are blocking the view of the stars, but those that are visible are still a nice sight.

"Trying to catch a cold?" He then finally speaks. Her body twists towards him, a look of surprise on her face. Yet, before she can say anything, he adds, "I don't mean to bother your alone time and the genius thoughts that run through your head. Just wanted to talk to you for a moment."

It seems to him that she's about to roll her eyes at him, something she tends to do a lot around him, though not this time. Perhaps she's tired because she only smiles softly and says, "It's okay, Fred."

"Alright, just keep whatever you had brewing up in that great mind of yours on hold for a minute. I promise I won't be long," he says, sitting down next to her.

Honestly, since he thought he'd have the night and the morning to think about it, he hadn't quite planned what he'd say to her once he got her alone. Now, he feels like a complete fool, searching for the right words while she is waiting for him to speak. He's always been perfectly fine with talking to girls he fancied, yet with them he'd usually know if they felt the same — that kind of information was easy to get in Hogwarts. With Hermione, it's different so he's constantly talking to her about his feelings and at this point, he thinks he's broken a record by bringing up this subject so many times.

Fred can see her looking at him, waiting to hear what he'll say while he makes himself look like an utter tosser, struggling to find the right words. "Unfortunately for you, you will no longer be seeing my handsome face every morning after tomorrow…" he holds back a groan. Since when talking is so difficult, he wonders. "But you can still stop by the shop whenever you want, no matter what your answer about… me will be. Not that you need my permission. I just mean that whatever you'll decide, I'll always see you as a friend and my door is always open. So, don't be a stranger. Besides, I'm too funny for awkward silences so don't worry about any awkwardness."

Only when he finishes rambling, does he notice the softness that seems to be in Hermione's eyes. His stomach clenches at the sight and he wishes he could have taken a picture of that exact moment, with the light from the Burrow falling on Hermione's features and her curls dancing in the light breeze. His heart might as well explode right there and then.

"Thank you, Fred. _Really,_ " she replies, sounding genuine.

He nods at that and pushes himself to stand again. "Well, I'll leave you to it. Goodnight."

With that, he leaves her. He walks back into the house, trying to convince himself that he did everything he could. From this point on it's all in Hermione's hands and maybe being away from her will actually be for the best, if she will reject him. Tired from his own thoughts and mind, Fred heads to his room and then to the bathroom to brush his teeth, ready to get some rest and get back to his daily life. However, he knows that after everything that happened with Hermione he won't be able to be exactly the same he was before the holidays.

* * *

 **Author's note:** **I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT!** I'm so bad... I wanted to upload this chapter on New Year's Eve but I had a major creative block with the second part of this chapter. At least it's much longer than the previous chapters (4k words).

I have a lot of free time so I'm hoping to update this story much more often, especialys since it will only have 3-4 more chapters left. Thank you so much for everyone who read/favorited/followed/reviwed this story since the last update and I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter. There'll be a bit more drama in the future chapters ;)

 **I don't own Harry Potter.**


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN** | CROSSFIRE

Fred has always been happy with the success of the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, yet he has never found the load of work as comforting as he has in the past week and a half. A week and a half since he last saw Hermione, or heard from her. He has been distracting himself with work since then, dreading the option that her not contacting him means she only sees him as a friend. This possibility sits at the back of his mind, spreading a sorrow feeling over his body whenever it slips back into his thoughts every now and then.

George and he settle in front of the register, while products fly around the room with the help of house-elf magic. Even though he's sitting down, Fred can't wait to get to the apartment that he shares with his twin, plop down on the couch and eat some of the food their mother let them take from the Burrow. They should learn how to cook something, yet the food shops in Diagon Alley are too tempting and whenever they want something home-made, there is always their Mum's food — she's constantly afraid the twins will starve without her supply of food.

The high voices of Nory and Pippy, the shop's house elves, fill the room as they update Fred on how many products were sold throughout the day. His hand moving across a piece of parchment as he scribbles the information down and his legs ache from walking around the store all day, but he tries not to think about it too much so there won't be any mistakes in his notes.

Once he's finished, he dismisses the elves and turns to face George, who's counting the money they made today. Then, when the latter finishes, Fred says, "I think the love potion madness is starting earlier this year, Georgie. Half of the ones we had on display are already sold."

"Thank Merlin for Valentine's Day." His twin says with a satisfied look, and adds, "How mad does someone have to be to use them and seriously hope—"

A knock on the door interrupts their conversation. Fred expects to see a desperate customer who's hoping to make a quick purchase before they'll close the shop completely, a scene that happens from time to time, but instead sees Ron standing on the other side of the glass door. The latter has new robes and a pin to show everyone he's an Auror in training, which is all he ever talks about lately. He's not as bad as Percy used to be, but Fred feels annoyed by simply thinking about all the new adventures Ron might tell them about.

George mutters in amusement, "Just when we were talking about love potions."

Fred smirks, remembering how Ron told them that he accidentally ate chocolates that were sent to Harry by Romilda Vane and were filled with a love potion. To this day, Fred wishes he could have seen his little brother embarrass himself under the potion's influence. With a wave of his wand, he unlocks the door and sighs, preparing himself to make fun of Ron how many times it will take as long as he won't need to listen to how brilliant being an Auror in training is, and to what Ron did in every minute of his day.

As soon as Ron pushes the door open, George says teasingly, "Sorry, little lad, we're closed. Come back tomorrow—"

"Fuck off," the younger Weasley replies, walking inside. "My Auror training finished late today and uh… I wanted to talk to you."

Ron specifically looks at Fred when he says that last part. Fred tries not to think about how easy it could have been for a certain curly-haired witch to make a quick stop at the shop, exactly like Ron is currently doing. The latter usually doesn't start his training stories by saying he wants to talk to someone, and so Fred hopes the subject of the conversation won't be his brother's work for the ministry.

Leaning back in his chair, Fred says, "Talk to me, little brother; though whatever trouble you're in, I can't promise I won't make fun of you."

With the tips of his ears reddening, Ron looks between the twins. "I think it'll be better if we'll talk in private."

Fred Frowns, yet before he can say or ask anything, his younger brother makes his way towards the storage room in the back, not bothering to see if the former is following him. Fred wants to make another joke on Ron's behalf, but his curiosity gets the best of him and he heads to the back, ignoring George's complaints about being left out. Ron waits for him between the many shelves of the storage room, which hold extra products and ingredients, wearing a rather nervous look on his face.

Several seconds pass between the siblings in silence and just when Fred is about to snap at Ron for wasting time, the latter speaks up. "I figured it out, you know… you and Hermione," Ron says, switching between glancing at his surroundings to looking at Fred. To say that Fred is surprised is an understatement. He would have been less surprised if Ron would have said that a hippogriff bit his private area. "I noticed you over Christmas but it took me time to put the pieces together."

Fred can probably count on one hand the number of times in which his little brother made him worried. Said list has decided to grow in that very moment. After he realized he fancies Hermione, he tried to imagine how the conversation about it with Ron will go if he'd ever find out, yet he never got so far as to decide what _exactly_ to tell him. Fred's body is now tense as if he's frozen right there in the doorway of the storage room. He waits for Ron to say something else, though he suspects that even Ron isn't sure what to say.

"Um, it's true," Fred says eventually, standing up straight. He takes a moment to study his brother's reaction, which, unfortunately, doesn't give him much indication of how Ron is taking in this information. "Are you… do you still fancy her?" He asks carefully.

It's Ron's turn to look surprised as his eyes wide, and Fred mentally prepares himself to hear a positive answer. _"Me?_ No, it didn't work out between us. I might have fancied her for a bit, but, uh, we're just friends," the former replies, looking embarrassed. "I mean, it's a bit weird to think that _you_ fancy her—"

Before Fred can stop himself, he jokes, "Honestly, with all the time Hermione's taking to decide how she feels about me, I might as well move on and we could never have this conversation again."

His little brother wears a strange expression that he can't read, and Fred wonders if he stepped over the line. "Hermione…" Ron says and the name hangs in the air between them.

Then, Fred realizes that he isn't looking at him, but at something behind him. Slowly putting the pieces together, Fred turns around and comes face to face with the witch he was just talking about. She looks taken aback, which must mean she heard what he said. It makes his body tense again, yet he's soon distracted by wondering what she's doing in his shop. Unless she's there for Ron, she must have come to give Fred an answer, he realizes. His stomach turns nervously at the thought.

He forces himself to smile at her. "Hello, love," he says hesitantly.

Hermione answers him in a heartbeat, her tone annoyed and the look in her eyes colder than usual. "I guess I should leave so you'll find someone who won't waste your time."

There's no doubt now that she heard that last part of his conversation with Ron and Fred tries not to wince. He can't mess this up now, not when she's possibly ready to give him an answer. He simply needs to find a way to calm her down, no matter how difficult it might be.

"Oh, come on, darling," Fred says, trying not to let the conversation take a bad turn. "It was just a bad joke. Besides, it _has_ been long since I last heard from you."

His effort of lighting up the mood seems to have been thrown out of the window. "I didn't realize there is a deadline for your affection," she replies, her expression hard.

"There isn't, but you can't take a month to—" he says, annoyance rising inside of him, no matter how much he tries to remain patient.

Fire burns in her eyes, and her voice raises as she cuts him off, "It's been a bloody _week and a half!_ The busiest week and a half I could have had!"

Her attempt to make him look like a villain and the volume of her voice makes his anger stronger as if a storm is happening inside of him. "So, I wasn't important enough, ay? I'm human just like you, Hermione, you seem to have forgotten that! You can't expect me to be considerate towards you while you don't do the same for me!"

Something other than anger seems to flash across Hermione's face, but he can't pinpoint it. Fred's honestly surprised at his own words. Nonetheless, he doesn't feel like he said something that he regrets or that isn't true. Hermione clearly doesn't care about him as much as he thought she did, regardless of what her romantic feelings towards him are. He tried to push the feeling away but the truth is, lately waiting for a sign from her hurt more with each passing day. He wonders if he's so unimportant in her eyes that she simply didn't care to tell him her answer.

It surprises him when a sad smirk crosses Hermione's lips. "Oh, I was supposed to _throw myself_ at you, then? Only because you like me?" she asks and her expression turns angry again the moment she finishes her questions.

Behind him, Ron mutters, "You could have sent him an owl." Fred notices something flying above his head and then hears it hit something. "Ouch!"

Ignoring her best friend, Hermione adds, "If you really cared about me, you wouldn't have minded waiting."

The accusation feels like a slap across his face. Fred's fury washes over him and as they glare at each other. He clenches his hands into fists, thinking about what he can break around him. Also, he can feel an ache in his chest. He likes her so much but those feeling are too clouded by his hurt to allow him to see reason or not to act on his anger.

"If _you_ really liked me back, it wouldn't have taken you so long to come to terms with it. That is, assuming that you did start all of this drama because you were going to tell me that you feel the same," he shoots back.

Seeing Hermione look as hurt as he feels only brings him _some_ satisfaction. Fred glances away from her for the first time in minutes and notices his twin looking between the two of them with a tense expression. George's mouth is open as if he's going to say something, yet when he meets his brother's gaze, Fred gives him a warning look that causes him to purse his lips. When Fred looks back at Hermione, her eyes are shining with tears, and he feels a hint of bitterness inside of him.

"I did come here to tell you that I like you back," she then says, before her voice raises, "but it seems I was wrong. I don't want anything to do with you, Fred Weasley!"

There it is, what he thought he was going to hear all along. She doesn't want him. Hearing these words is the last straw, and while Hermione hurries out of the store, he yells back, "Good, it's mutual then!"

He keeps his gaze on her as she swings the door open. Ron bumps his shoulder with his and scolds him for being an arsehole, before hurrying after his best friend. Fred doesn't care. He can't seem to look away from the back of Hermione's curls and then from the place she last stood in before she apparated away, leaving him staring into the shadows of the night. George says something next to him, yet he isn't listening, consumed by his hurt and an ache in his heart, like a piece of it is missing.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** ooooof, this chapter was such a pain in my butt! I swear I rewrote and edited like five times. Who knew writing Fred fighting with someone is so difficult?

Let me know what you think please, I really tried this entire fight to make sense and for Fred to stay in character! It all got pretty intense in one chapter all of the sudden so I hope you enjoy this chapter.

I don't own Harry Potter, only this plot idea.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPER EIGHT** | TIME

The next two days drag by for Fred. Stubborn, he keeps telling himself that his fight with Hermione isn't his fault, that things got out of control and that she is to blame just as much as he is. At some point, he can't quite remember what the fight was about, and yet, he keeps telling himself that he wasn't to blame for the fact that it happened.

To his annoyance, George seems to think the opposite. His twin nags him several times a day, asking when he's going to head over to Hermione's and beg for her forgiveness. At first, Fred thinks his brother's only goal is to annoy him, but then, the more George brings up the subject, the more he realizes that his brother truly thinks he has a reason to apologize to Hermione.

When the weekend finally arrived and Fred is lying awake in the middle of the night, staring at the ceiling, he finally properly replays the fight in his head; he recalls how taken aback he was by Ron finding out the truth, his hesitance, Hermione's defenses coming up, _his_ defenses doing the same, his attempts to fix everything using humor, his anger, her hurt, everything falling apart. The funny thing is, that looking back, he isn't surprised that it happened. Sure, he would have never guessed that they would fight before even getting together — they fancy each other, he can't accept them _not_ being together — but overall, the circumstances don't surprise him.

Hermione has always been significantly more serious than him, more sensitive than he is, letting her heart lead her just as much as her head. He, on the other hand, has always been one to joke around; it's why George and he such good pranksters. So, to say that it's surprising that someone like her and someone like him clashed would be lying. They clashed before — never like this but still, they should be able to get this.

 _Right?_

The desire to see her and apologize for being a git crashes into Fred. Sitting up in his bed, he whispers 'lumos' and looks at the clock that's hanging on his wall. It's almost two in the morning. Fred wonders if it's too late, feeling like he shouldn't waste time waiting for tomorrow morning, but his shoulders fall once he remembers that he doesn't know where Hermione is staying at the moment. He spends a solid five minutes trying to remember, only for his memory to disappoint him. Cursing, he lets his head hit the pillow. There isn't much of a choice for him but to wait for the next day, when he can reach Ginny and ask her where to find Hermione.

It takes him about an hour to fall asleep. His impatience makes adrenaline fill his body, and he turns from one side to the other in his bed over and over, while his mind overfloods with what he will tell Hermione when he will see her. Eventually, he tires himself down, though his sleep is restless.

Fortunately, Fred wakes up early the next morning. He dresses up right away, noticing it isn't even eight AM yet. After going to the bathroom, he decides to take a few minutes to have breakfast, if only to give himself some time to organize his thoughts. If he'll be in too much of a rush, he could end up saying some bollocks to Hermione like he did last time, which is the last thing he wants.

He strategically chooses to make himself a chocolate sandwich — it won't get stuck in his teeth nor give him bad breath — and it's half gone within seconds. His body grows alert as soon as he hears someone knocking on the apartment's door, the noise breaking the silence. As far as Fred knows, they aren't expecting anyone, yet he puts his sandwich down and heads to the door, assuming it might be Angelina coming over to surprise George. He comes to a stop next to the door and looks through the peek-hole while trying to finish chewing the food in his mouth.

The moment he sees who's on the other side, he freezes.

The girl on the other side of the door looks nervous, her gaze constantly from one point to another. Fred takes another moment to look at Hermione, his heart starting to beat faster. He swallows down the food that he has in his mouth and hurries to open the door. Hermione's gaze immediately meets his and he suspects that the fact that she's there might make his heart explode. She seems a bit panicked by, but her expression slightly relaxes as she takes in the sight of him.

"I was just planning to go and see you," Fred blurts out, feeling uncomfortable that _he_ isn't the one who came to _her_. He isn't sure of why she's here, but it feels like she should know he wasn't fine with them not speaking, or however one should call it. "Come in."

Quietly, she replies, "Thank you."

Fred doesn't seem to be able to take his eyes off of her as he steps to the side, letting her in. He searches for an indication as to why she's here, though the only thing he can say for sure is that even though it's clear something is on her mind, she looks nice. After closing the door behind her and following her inside, he leads her to his room, hoping she won't care too much about the mess that's waiting inside.

Very aware it's the first time in a while that they're alone together, he closes the door behind him. "I'm happy to see you, though I was planning to be the one who came to you. Problem is I don't know where you currently live—"

Hermione's gaze, which has been wandering around the room, meets his own for a moment. "It's okay. I knew where to find you and yet I didn't come earlier," she says with an attempt at a comforting smile. The nervousness doesn't seem to fade away from her body. "I know that I should have come earlier, but I was — I _am_ — ashamed of the way I behaved."

While he appreciates her words, Fred doesn't like these apologies. Sure, apologies are necessary and he and Hermione should discuss where their relationship went wrong, but he hates the awkward feeling that admitting of being wrong to another person is followed by. Also, he would never admit it, but he simply highly dislikes admitting to being wrong.

While he wonders how to move on from the apologizing stage as soon as possible, Hermione continues. "I overreacted at some point and I didn't mean to come through so angry. I'm sorry. I do still stand by some of the things that I said," she says and pauses for a few seconds to study his reaction. "But I didn't handle the situation the right way and for that, I apologize as well... this kind of relationships isn't something I'm very good at or experienced with, Fred."

It's easy to see that their fight has been bothering her by the frown she's wearing. He feels an urge to see her calm and happy again, which makes him come closer to her. He wants to _make_ _her happy_. She seems surprised by the step that he takes towards her, but since she doesn't move away nor look uncomfortable, he supposes it's okay.

"I never wanted to get angry with you, and once I calmed down, I could see why you were angry," Fred says, trying to ignore how much he's itching to get over this fight already. "I just didn't want to chase someone who doesn't want to be chased, but I want to be with you, love. As long as you _want me_ to be with you."

Her brown eyes are staring at him and he softens under her gaze. He studies her features for a moment; the curls that always look so soft no matter how bushy they are, the pink lips that like to draw his attention to them too many times for his own good, and the familiar brown eyes that are his favorite even when they hold anger inside them.

Her expression is now different — hesitant but calmer. "I... I want to be with you, too."

They're already standing rather close, yet her words make it seem to Fred that they aren't close enough. Slowly, he leans closer to her, his hands settling carefully on her waist, waiting to see her reaction. It's the perfect moment and he's sick of talking. Hermione, though her expression is frozen, seems to stand on her tiptoes before he gently pulls her closer to him. The smell of her perfume is now noticeable to him as if encouraging him to kiss her already—

There's a loud knock on the apartment door.

"Ignore it," Hermione says quietly, looking back and forth between his eyes and his lips with an expression that he's never seen her wear before.

"That's not very proper of you, is it?" He teases, smirking.

Just as he wonders why he's still talking instead of kissing her, he hears the knock again. It makes him flinch in annoyance.

Unlike him, Hermione doesn't seem to care too much, too focused on him. "To hell with proper," she murmurs.

While someone yells in background, he's leaning in, Hermione's words echoing in his head. Then, the door to his room flies open. Hermione hangs her head down in disappointment so that the only thing he kisses is her forehead.

"Ever heard of opening the door when someone is knocking, Freddie? I know you're awake—" George says as the pair put some distance between one another. Fred sends his twin a dirty look, not caring one bit about the disheveled state he's in. George then freezes, taking in the scene in front of him. "Oh. Morning Hermione. Nice to see you here, all _cozy_ with Fred _,_ " he says, smiling widely and leaning on the door frame.

"Is someone dying, Georgie?" Fred glares at him as Hermione mumbles a greeting.

"Nah, it's just Angie," the other twin replies, looking very satisfied with the situation he caught Fred in. "Are you hungry, Hermione?"

As if George's interruption isn't enough, at that moment Angelina decides to peek inside to see what's going on. Her eyes widen when she sees Hermione, but the two girls awkwardly say hello to each other. "Why are you bothering them, George? Let's go," she says and starts pulling her boyfriend by his arm. "Sorry about him."

As soon as the doorway is clear, Fred slams the door, ignoring George's voice on the other side. "They should enjoy their time while they can because my revenge will be sweet," Fred says, shaking his head.

Turning around, he sees Hermione is sitting on his bed, however, she quickly gets up. She looks embarrassed by everything that just happened. When she smiles at Fred for a moment, it makes him want to pull her closer again. He walks towards her, not seeing the point of stopping himself, though he can feel in the air that the moment that they shared is gone for now.

"I should go," she says as he stops in front of her, the words coming out of her mouth faster than usually. "I need to—"

As she tries to give him an excuse, Hermione walks around him, yet Fred catches her wrist and brings her to a stop. "When can I see you again?"

Hermione seems to be surprised by the question, her expression softening. "Work is hectic, but I'll have to plan my time right. My planner is at home so I'll send you an owl to let you know."

Even though her words suggest that the conversation should end, he continues to hold her wrist. Now that something is going on between them, Fred doesn't want to let her go. Hermione doesn't seem to mind the touch to his happiness.

"I've barely had one happy minute with you, darling. It's not fair," he complains as if he's seven years old. "Where are you even going?"

His behavior makes a half-smile tug on the corner of her lips. "Sunday is the day I dedicate to my parents," she explains with a small, comforting tilt of her head to the side.

Fred doesn't ask for more information about her parents — he knows Hermione's been trying to make up for some of the time that the Grangers lost as a family during the war. He isn't even sure how much of their memory they got back after she obliviated them. He's curious about this side of her life, yet he doesn't dare to ask since it's probably the most sensitive topic one can bring up in a conversation with Hermione.

"You owe me spending time together," Fred warns teasingly.

"Noted." Rolling her eyes, she stands up on her toes and presses a kiss to his cheek. Hermione pulls away too quickly for his liking and gives him a shy look. He smiles, but she slips out from his hold before he can stop her.

Hermione leads the way back to the apartment's door and stops when she gets to it. She waits for him to unlock it and with George and Angelina in the former's room, Fred can't help but think that it's a good time to finish what they started earlier. He pushes the key into the lock while also leaning in closer to Hermione, who immediately meets his gaze.

Though she understands his intention, he's disappointed to see her poke a finger into the center of his chest and gently pushes him away from her. "We shouldn't rush," she says.

"That is not what you told me five minutes ago," he protests.

Sighing, the witch lets her hand drop back to her side. "I know," she admits, "but I thought about it and it's the right thing to do. Besides, I do have to go."

Groaning, Fred opens the door and gives her a very unsatisfied look. He isn't sure what she means, or more correctly in who's eyes it's right to take things slow between them, yet he decides to argue. Considering their almost kiss, he doesn't think she'll be holding back for too long and, either way, he can wait however long Hermione wants to. She smiles at him sweetly and says goodbye, before quickly disappearing down the stairs that lead from the apartment to Diagon Alley. Fred remains standing in the doorway for a few more seconds, letting a sweet feeling fill his chest and a smile to cross his lips.

* * *

 **Author's note:** hello my dear readers! This is probably my last update before I'll be starting college, but hopefully, it won't stop me too much from contuning this story (who am I kidding…). Thank you to everyone who followed/favorited/commented on this story since my last update. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that you didn't think things between Fred and Hermione changed too quickly. I feel like Hermione is impulsive when it comes to her strong feelings, so that's why I wrote her that way when Fred and her almost kissed.

Let me know what you think!

I obviously don't own HP.


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